… 91 percent of people know that password
recycling poses huge security risks, yet 59 percent still use the
same password everywhere.

… The firm polled
2,000 users across the United States, Australia, France, Germany and
the United Kingdom, and found that people are more aware of security
best practices, but don’t necessarily apply them.

For example, the number one reason for password
reuse is fear of forgetfulness.

You can see the rise of a modern privacy conundrum
in the 32 years between the first DNA case and DeAngelo’s arrest.

… individuals need to worry about another kind
of privacy violation. I think of it as a modern tweak on the
tragedy of the commons — call it “privacy of the commons.”
It’s what happens when one person’s voluntary disclosure of
personal information exposes the personal information of others who
had no say in the matter. Your choices didn’t cause the breach.
Your choices can’t prevent it, either. Welcome to a world where
you can’t opt out of sharing, even if you didn’t opt in.

Text
Messages Are Property: Why You Don’t Own Your Text Messages, But
It’d Be a Lot Cooler If You Did

Howden, Spence, Text Messages Are Property: Why
You Don’t Own Your Text Messages, But It’d Be a Lot Cooler If You
Did (March 2, 2018). Washington & Lee Law Review, 2019,
Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3157359

“Courts have yet to consider whether text
messages are property, but they will soon. As our lives become more
and more centered around our smartphones, text
messages will displace e-mails as the primary means of electronic
communication (if that hasn’t already happened). We
currently don’t have an effective means of recourse available
should our cellular providers purposefully block or delete our text
messages. The answer lies in property law. This
Note argues that text messages are intangible personal property,
which leads to two practical outcomes. First,
text message “owners” can successfully sue using property-based
causes of action (e.g., trespass to chattels and conversion) when
their ownership rights over their text messages are disturbed by the
service provider or cell phone manufacturer. Although there have
been few legal challenges brought by aggrieved text message owners,
they have been universally unsuccessful in causing cellular providers
to change their ways. Had these aggrieved text message owners sued
under a property-based cause of action, they would have successfully
enjoined the cellular providers from continuing to mess with their
text messages. Second,
a judicial determination that text messages constitute intangible
personal property will close the third-party loophole. As it stands,
the government is free to
search the contents of our text messages because we have voluntarily
conveyed the information to our cellular service providers.
However, if courts find that text messages constitute a form of
property, an encrypted text message starts to look more and more like
a sealed letter than public information. The framers designed the
Fourth Amendment to prevent unwarranted searches and seizures of the
dominant form of communication of their day: sealed letters.
Consequently, it only makes
sense to extend the Fourth Amendment’s protection to the dominant
form of communication today: encrypted text messages.

Amazon.com has made about 200 phone calls to
cities the retail giant rejected for its second headquarters. Some
of the cities say they are learning from the disappointing phone
conversations and making changes.

Cincinnati and Sacramento, Calif., are
restructuring workforce development programs to focus on tech talent.
Orlando, Fla., is considering starting a community fund to invest in
local tech companies and draw more entrepreneurs. In Detroit,
elected officials and business leaders are pushing a ballot
initiative for a new regional transportation network that would
connect outer counties to the city.

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About Me

I live in Centennial Colorado. (I'm not actually 100 years old., but I hope to be some day.) I'm an independant computer consultant, specializing in solving problems that traditional IT personnel tend to have difficulty with... That includes everything from inventorying hardware & software, to converting systems & data, to training end-users. I particularly enjoy taking on projects that IT has attempted several times before with no success. I also teach at two local Universities: everything from Introduction to Microcomputers through Business Continuity and Security Management. My background includes IT Audit, Computer Security, and a variety of unique IT projects.